It is a bit of mixed feelings that go into this review as Mattel has stated this will be the final Weapons Pack. (or Pak rather as, like many of the MOTU names it leaves out the C) At the same time this last pack brings us one of the best inclusions ever as we get a brand new character inside! So let's go ahead and take a look at the fourth Weapons Pack. As you may recall each Weapons Pack had a subtitle theme. This one, appropriately enough for being the last one, is called the "End of Wars Weapons Pak".

The End of Wars pak comes on the same style large blister card the previous ones did with the accessories divided up into several small bubbles. The back of the card shows off a small selection of other figures in the line, but does not feature any bio or other story element. Though this is in line with the previous packs, it's a bit of a letdown that there's nothing for the packed in character. One interesting thing is that it shows the Horde Trooper and has a small star blurb next to it saying "coming soon". A bit pointless since they got released in the same month.

We'll start with what I consider the low point of the set. He-Man's weapons all done in a strange lime green color. It's not even two-tone, they are all the flat green with only the shield getting the standard red markings to break it up. I'm not sure what the idea behind this color choice was. The leading theory among the fans is this is a lead in for out next chase figure. After the hype of the Spirit of Hordak figure Mattel said they probably would end up doing more chase figures of the like. Fans are speculating we may get a translucent green He-Man figure as "Slime Pit He-Man" a reference to the vintage mini-comic where He-Man was briefly turned into a mindless slave of Hordak after being subjected to the Slime Pit and completely covered in the green ooze.

Next up we have Sir Laser Lot's weapons done in plain silver/grey colors as though they are actual metal weapons instead of being made of lasers. These are good weapons pack material as they make for standard weapons that work with pretty much anyone. For that matter though they actually look pretty decent with Laser Lot himself. That does kind of defeat the purpose of the character though, so I continue to display mine with his own weapons. I did give this new sword to one of my Palace Guards and it goes well with him.

Next up we have the poleaxe, small axe. mace, and shield first seen with the Palace Guards and again with the Weapons Rack. This time they are done in a golden brown color. As you can see by what I stuck in the background, these are meant to be modeled after the gold weapons seen in the Granamyr box art. Funny to note on the box it says "accessories not available" under the weapons. Well they are now. However the paint job is rather dull and flat so they don't really have that golden treasure look from the box art. They actually look closer to the color used for the vintage Castle Grayskull weapons. Like the Sir Laser Lot weapons though they are generic enough to work with most figures as is.

Okay, now we start getting into more character specific weapons. (as well as pictures I didn't have to turn the camera sideways to take) Here we have Hurricane Hordak's weapons painted black so as to add to Trap Jaw's arsenal. Given how many weapons Trap Jaw had in the cartoon, it's always cool to get additional things for him to use. Now they are just solid black and I do think they could have benefited from some more paint details. Also of course they can't be attached to his belt. I also feel compelled to mention that when I went to change it out the peg got stuck in Trap Jaw's arm and came off. That is to say the plastic came off leaving a thin metal screw on the mace and leaving the plastic plug in Trap Jaw's arm thus jamming it. Ironically when I put the mace back on hoping to screw it back together it spun freely like Hurricane Hordak's weapons should have in the first place. But in the end I had to use a knife to pry the peg out. I'd certainly call this a defect, though I doubt it's a widespread one. Probably just mine. I got the peg out and I wasn't intending to use this weapon on display anyway.

Along the same vein as that we have Trap Jaw's weapons done in silver grey for Roboto. Again it's just a flat color, however the nature of the weapons makes it not as bad for these. Maybe some highlights on the gun would be better, but the hook and claw are fine as is. On the other hand I personally don't find the hook or claw to really work for Roboto for some reason. Like those are things he wouldn't need or use. The silver hook hand in Horde Prime's arm there does just scream of Karg to me though. Too bad Mattel doesn't have the rights to him or any live action movie characters aside from the three that did appear in the vintage line.

Now we get to the weapons that were cut from the initial figure releases. Well, sort of on this first one. It's the Bubble Power She-Ra sword done in blue color with a blue gem and intended for use with Netossa. Now this wasn't actually cut from the Netossa figure, she simply only had her shield and net cape from the start, but it is a throwback reference. Early vintage POP card art did show the Netossa figure with a blue BP She-Ra sword, but the actual figure did not include it. So in a way this is filling in a missing weapon from 25 years ago. Now the sword is sadly just as gummy and bendable as She-Ra's was, but it does still look pretty good in Netossa's hand. However since this is the last weapons pack I think most fans would have preferred getting her headdress which most decidedly was missing from the Classics release.

In the actual cut category we have Strobo's "mirror blaster" gun. This weapon was sculpted brand new for the figure but cut from release due to cost, so it's great to have it put out to complete the figure. It is given a proper paint job and works well with the character really fitting him even though he did not have this weapon in his comic appearance.

Next is another cut piece due to high cost that a lot of fans were upset that they didn't get. It's Rattlor's 200X style armor. Of course since Mattel does not officially use the term 200X it's called his "Horde armor" on Mattycolletor apparently indicating he only wore this armor after joining the Horde in the Classics bio storyline. Rattlor wore this all the time in the 200X series and I must say it really adds a new dimension to the Classics figure. Despite being based on the vintage style, the Classics Rattlor really looks great wearing this. It is worth noting that it's a bit of a tight fit and tricky to get on due to the thickness of his tail, but once you get it on you'll want to leave it anyway.

All right, saving the best for last we have a brand new character figure. The "know-it-owl" himself: Kowl! Kowl is a very important addition to the line because, as every She-Raver knows, he is one of the biggest (figuratively not physically) and most pivotal characters in the mythos; appearing in almost every episode and being one of the few to know the secret of She-Ra's duel identity. Not to mention his comedic value added by his frequent smart-ass remarks to Bow. Indeed Bow and Kowl are so much a pair that many fans feel Kowl should have already come as a pack in with the Bow figure.

In that regard the Classics Kowl turned out to be smaller than I was expecting even after having seen pictures of the figure before getting him in hand. That's not a bad thing though as, like Orko, he is finally done to proper scale. (at least proper cartoon scale) Kowl is molded after his Filmation look more than the vintage toy, however he is painted in his vintage toy colors. This seems a bit odd given that every other POP character has been done Filmation style. It's widely speculated that we will be getting a Filmation colored Kowl packed in with another figure later, particularly since the toy colored one is released here in a weapons pack.

Kowl does have some minor articulation. His head is able to turn left and right, though his large ears do prevent it from going too far. His arms also swivel up and down. That's all there is but that's all the vintage toy had too, plus it's all that's really needed for this little guy. It would have been nice to have some kind of flight stand for him, but it's not a deal breaker. And with a little balancing he can be made to sit on Bow's shoulder or arm.

(for those of you wondering about the holes in my vintage Kowl- the figure's action feature was a hinged tuft of fur on his chest that worked like a magic eight ball. You ask a yes or no question then open it to get the answer. As you can see my figure is missing the part)

So there you have it. Like most weapons packs there is a mixture of great things with not so great. The inclusion of Kowl alone though makes this a must have. While I do prefer Kowl's Filmation colors and it is possible we may see that version later, I would not pass this one up relying on that. After all we still haven't seen that flocked Panthor now have we? The End of Wars Weapons Pak is however sold out so check the secondary market for it (or just for Kowl as some people break up the packs and sell each piece separately) Good luck and until next time, Good Journey.

_________________SUPPORT MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE CLASSICS

"I HAVE THE POWER!!.... the power is mine, not yours. Thanks for asking."